Category: Diplomacy>Southeast Asia

China’s Big Bet on Indonesian Nickel Faces a Harsh Reckoning

For years, China raced to secure the critical minerals needed to fuel its economy and the global clean energy transition. Nickel was supposed to be one of the surest bets. Now, one of China’s largest investments in Indonesia’s nickel industry is unraveling—and with it, some of the ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

China-Led Study Proposes Global Energy Network

A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.

The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked to ...

Why the U.S. Should Pay Close Attention to the Singapore PM’s Visit to China

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong landed in Beijing on Sunday night for a week-long visit that will include talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping. In an interview with the state-run Straits Times newspaper, the PM said ...

Malaysia Verifying Report of Chinese Firm Bypassing U.S. Tech Curbs

Malaysia's government is verifying media reports that a Chinese company may be circumventing U.S. export curbs on high-end AI chips by using servers housing Nvidia chips based in the Southeast Asian country. The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese engineers had ...

China Eases Transit Rules for Indonesians. Jakarta Should Push for More.

China’s recent inclusion of Indonesia in its 240-hour visa-free transit program is a notable, if not entirely surprising, development. While Indonesia is now among the 55 countries benefiting from this arrangement, the move signals a step forward in the broader relationship between the two nations. For ...

From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans

Just one week after Chinese military enthusiasts were celebrating the possibility of Indonesia buying China’s J-10C fighter jet, news broke on June 11 that Türkiye has signed a deal to export 48 units of its fifth-generation Kaan fighter to Indonesia. The sudden shift left many Chinese observers ...

China-Linked Mines in Myanmar Blamed for Toxic Pollution Flowing Into Thailand

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee and Sally Jensen A sprawling new mine is gouged into the lush rolling hills of northeast Myanmar, where civil war has weakened the government's already feeble writ, and pollution levels are rising downstream in Thailand. ...

After Rafale, Now J-10C? Chinese Netizens React to Indonesia’s Ongoing Fighter Jet Procurement Moves

In late May, Indonesia surprised many Chinese military watchers by signing a defense agreement with France, which included the purchase of Rafale fighter jets—despite the J-10C’s widely publicized performance advantage during the ...

Little-Known Country on Track to Join ASEAN Suddenly Sparks Interest in China

According to a May 28 report by Vietnam News Agency, ASEAN leaders have agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as the bloc’s 11th member at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in October.  The announcement initially flew under the radar on Chinese social ...

U.S. Firms Urge Washington to Lower Tariffs on ‘Valued Partner’ Vietnam

U.S. companies in Vietnam have urged the Trump administration to lower tariffs on Hanoi, according to a letter from the American Chamber of Commerce obtained by AFP on Tuesday, warning the levies would hurt their business. The Southeast Asian manufacturing hub ...

ASEAN, Gulf, and China Signal New Phase in Global South Climate Leadership

For decades, global climate action has been largely shaped by the Global North—through frameworks like the Paris Agreement and funding mechanisms such as the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P). These initiatives have set the tone, the goals, and the financial flows, often leaving countries in the Global ...

Vietnam, U.S. to Speed up Trade Talks: Hanoi

Vietnam and the United States have agreed to speed up trade talks, Hanoi said Thursday, as it announced $600 million in deals to buy U.S. agricultural products. Vietnam has the third-biggest trade surplus with the United States, after China and Mexico, ...

China Lead Mine Plan Weighs Heavily on Myanmar Tribe

Hundreds of protesting Myanmar tribespeople march up a hillside to a cavernous facility where a Chinese joint venture's giant milling machines stand ready to grind up the rocks of their ancestral homeland for lead ore. Demand for the heavy metal is ...

Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C

Many Chinese military fans were surprised when Indonesia announced on May 28th that it had signed a defense agreement with France, including plans to purchase Rafale fighter jets, despite the Chinese J-10C’s impressive performance in the much-discussed 2019 India-Pakistan aerial skirmish. In that engagement, Pakistan’s J-10C reportedly ...
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